Method of electroplating musical instruments and improved electroplated musical instruments



" only a few seconds.

Patented Aug... 4, 1925.

UNITED CHARLES BELOUS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO C. BRUNO & SON, INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

METHOD OF ELECTROPLATING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND IMPROVED ELECTRO- ILATED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern. Belt known that I, CHARLES BELOUS, a

citizen of Russia, residing at New York a new and improved electroplated musical instrument and the like.

Musical instruments are ordinarily formed of a brass alloy containing about 67% of copper and 32% of zinc, together with minute traces of iron and lead.

A brass musical instrument consists of parts made from this brass alloy connected by means of a soft solder. This solder is usually composed of a mixture of tin and lead.

Gold-plated brass musical instruments have heretofore been very expensive. It has been considered necessary to first plate the brass instrument with a heavy plating of silver and to then plate the silver With gold.

According to my invention, a gold-plating may be secured in a very simple, quick and cheap manner.

The brass musical instrument is first cleaned and brushed in the usual manner and it is then given a very thinnickel coating or plating by the ordinary process of electroplating. The solution of the nickel salt used, the current employed and the manipulation need not be specifically described because this is well known to the art, and ordinary methods may be employed for this purpose. The electroplating in the nickel bath may take place for The reason for first plating the brass instrument with nickel is because experience has shown that the nickel forms a tough adherent deposit, not only upon the brass members of the musical instrument, but also upon the solder at the points where the parts of the musical in; strument are connected. On the contrary, experience has shownthat if a silver coating is first formed by ordinary electroplat- Application filed February 3, 1925. Serial No. 6,558.

ing methods, that this silver is deposited upon the lines of solder very slowly so that unless the process is carried out to such an extent and for such a length of time that a thick and expensive coating of silver is formed on the instrument, then the gold is not properly deposited on the silver adacent the "solder so that black marks are visible after the electroplating with the gold has been completed.

After a thin coating of nickel has been formed, the instrument is then plated in a silver bath for a few seconds so as to form a very thin plating of silver. The electroplating with the silver does not require more than a few seconds.

The silver plating is formed very readily upon the nickel in a uniform manner and then the instrument can be gold-plated by the use of the ordinary methods well known to the art, which can also 'be employed for the intermediate silver plating previously mentioned.

If desired, the instrument can be plated with some cheap gold colored alloy after the silver plating has been completed, so that if a thin and cheap coating of gold is plated upon the instrument, then the instrument willhave a gold color after the thin gold-plating has worn off. For example, a brass alloy containing about 88% of copper and about 12% of zinc and substantially free from iron can be used for coating the silver.

Experience has also shown that in order to obviate the necessity of burnishing the gold-plated instrument, that it is advantageous to omit the silver plating, and to plate the gold, or the said gold colored alloy, directly upon the nickel. Practical experience has shown that if the brass alloy before mentioned is deposited directly upon the nickel and if a gold-plating is tlien formed directly upon this gold colored brass alloy, that the gold film or deposit has a bright burnished appearance. This produces a very marked economy as it ordinarily takes about four hours to burnish a gold-plated instrument, so that this is a substantial source of expense. It is believed that-by directly electrorlating the gold upon a brass deposit free from solder and which has been freshly formed that this produces some effect upon the gold deposit electroplated on the said brass deposit so as to produce the said-bright appearance. The goldiis plated upon the brass, immediately after this brass deposit has been formed.

If the gold colored brass alloy before mentioned is utilized, it may be utilized as follows About an ounce of this gold colored alloy is placedjn a suitable porcelain dish over a water bath and it is heated over .the water bath to a temperature of about 160 F. Then aqua regia (composed of two parts of nitric acid and three parts of hydrochloric acid) is gradually poured into the dish until the gold colored alloy is completely dissolved. About 6 ounces of the aqua regia is used to dissolve about 1 ounce of the finely divided plating alloy.

After the solution has been formed, about four times the volume of cold water having a temperature of about 50 F. is added thereto. The diluted solution is then allowed to cool, if necessary, until it is at about a temperature of 60 F. to 70 F. An aqueous solution of ammonia is now slowly added to this diluted solution and is thoroughly mixed therewith until a brown spongy precipitate has been secured. After the ammonia has been added, the precipitate is .allowed to settle and an excess of ammonia should be avoided in order to prevent any loss of the precipitate.

This precipitate is now separated by filtration with ordinary filter paperand it is then washed with distilled water until it is perfectly'clear from all traces of the mother If desired, he hath containing this plating alloy can alsocontain some of the well known double cyanide gold salts and the anode may consist of an alloy of the said plating alloy and ofordinary gold.

I.have,shown a preferred embodiment of my invention but it is clear that numerous changes and omissions could be made Without departing from its spirit. A.

and then directly electroplating it with gold.

3. A method of electroplating a brass object composed of a plurality of parts soldered together, which consists in first electroplating it with nickel, then electroplat- 7 ing it with brass and then electroplating it with gold.

4. A methodof electroplating a brass object composed of a plurality of parts sol-V dered together, which consists in first electroplating it with nickel, then electroplating it' with a brass alloy containing substantially 88% of copper and 12% of zinc, and

then electroplating it with gold.

5. A gold plated brass object composed of a plurality of parts soldered together, the said instrument having a nickel deposit electroplatedon the surface thereof, a silver deposit electroplated upon the said nickel deposit, and a gold deposit electroplated on the said silver deposit.

6'. A old plated brass object com osed of a plura ity of parts soldered toget er, the said instrument having a nickel dBPOSlt electroplated thereon, a brass deposit electroplated on the nickel deposit, and a gold deposit electroplated on the said brass deposit. Y

- In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

. CHARLES BELOUS. 

